Twist
by Brijearin
Summary: A friend of Akira visits him one day, and offers him a chance to play with a new set of players. The only problem is that he doesn't want to.
1. Chapter 1

(Hello again every one. I just want to say that this story is writen by one of my friends. She doesn't have a comp, and doesn't want to start an acount here untill she learns how her work will be taken. She will be posting this story on my acount and yes she knows about this. This is her first fanfic so please let her know how to improve.

I do not own Hiaru no Go, itbelongs to Hotta-sama and Obata-sama. I am making no money off of this fic. Now down to what I want to say. Please R&R, and I hope you like it.)

Akira sighed to himself as he let the door to his house slowly open. He had been gone for the past couple of weeks, away on a tournament that had stressed his mind to the limits. But he had had more fun playing in that tournament then he would care to admit. There hadn't been one person that had captured his attention the way this new boy, Hikaru, had. And while the boy had insulted everyone to ever play, he was good enough to become pro.

Akira wished that Go was more a game to him, much as it was to Hikaru, maybe then it would be fun to just play and not really care who won. But for him Go was his life, and there was no way that it was ever going to be anything less. He wished that he could look at it the way they did. After all to play with friends to unwind was unthinkable to him, every match ignited a fire in his heart, the determination to win was far to strong for it to be a game.

He sighed again, as he kicked off his shoes and walked into the front room stopping dead in his tracks when he heard the sound of a Go game in progress. He didn't remember his father saying anything about playing a teaching game that day, then again perhaps he had finally found another child to train, another person to carry on the passion and intensity that Akira felt he had started to lose.

Akira found that his feet led him towards where the sounds of play were coming from. Had he really be replaced by another child? Did the child have more talent then he? If so would his father stop trying to help him become stronger? Questions flashing through his mind, Akira stepped into the room.

The tension in it was sharper then a blade, and far more dangerous. The two figures sitting before the board were glaring down at it or at each other which ever the play allowed. Tempers had obviously risen far above the red zone, but as to why the young boy had no idea. The furious "Klack, klack" of the stones being placed showed how badly the players wanted to win.

The plays were made at astounding speed, far faster then Akira felt he could ever hope to be. The territory was traded back and forth, neither gaining a major advantage. The tension thickened as white started to dominate the board, cutting black off at every turn. The drive to win spurred both on as they tried to win with everything that they had.

Suddenly the "Klack's" stopped, signaling the end of the game. Akira finally moved closer to the board as was shocked to see that black had played a killer move, trapping white in it's own attack, while never giving up the chances it needed to change tactics. Black was good, he knew that, he had just never realized how good.

"It seems you win," Akira heard his father say, at his usual place white stones sitting in front of him.

"So it would seem," was the calm reply. "Though you do have more points," they added after a moment.

"Only because we did not see this to the conclusion," his father replied. His voice was low and filled with a regret that Akira could not understand. He had seen his father loss before, everyone had to sometime. But this seemed different, and it bothered him to think that his father had really not wanted the match to end.

"Are you really that determined to play the divine move first?" black asked before climbing to their feet. Their movements held a strange sort of familiarity to Akira but the boy could not figure out from where.

"You know me," was his father's reply as he too climbed to his feet. "We should do this more often," he said after a moment moving out of Akira's was permitting him to finally see who had just beaten his father.

"Rose-chan!" Akira cried after finally seeing her again. He was amazed that he had not been able to figure out when he knew her from. She was one of the best Go players he had met. And she did t solely out of fun, not playing to win, but to hang out with friends and pass time. She was the only person that could call Go a game and he would probably agree with her. But unlike Hikaru, she had true respect for the game and its players. She would never insult the game by saying she could drabble in it and win a few tittles, though that was what she did.

"Akira-chan," would you like to play a game?" she asked at finally seeing one of the younger players from her group. It amazed all that knew her to see her with the group, at least one person from every country that had Go in it. And that best part was they were all around her age.

"On one condition," Akira said slowly, knowing that she wasn't in the mood to go easy on him, not with the utter defeat that she had handed his father.

"Which would be?"

"That you don't call me 'chan' anymore," he replied, both doing their best to keep from smiling at the fact they were doing it again, playing out the say sad tale, only to repeat it again the next time they played.

"So if you win you are Akira-kun," she said smiling at him. "But when I win you stay Akira-chan," she added.

Same story, same lines, and probably same outcome, after all Rose admitted to him on many occasions that she hated to loss. And can one have fun doing something they hate? Akira didn't think so, and with Rose it was all about fun.

Both agreed to the terms and sat down to play. They decided colors by Rose demanding to be white, and they resorted the stones before getting ready to play. Akira was about to place his first stone when he turned to his father.

"How many stones did you let her place?" he asked as he looked at the man that would be watching every move they made.

"I offered two, as is the normal amount for her, but this time she refused to place them."

Rose had refused to play the game as they had always done so? Was she really a stronger player now or had she lost the chance to beat her other main rival? Had he upset her to the point were the only way to play was to go for blood? If so then why had she come to his father? How many games had they played? And had she gotten that hatred out of her system? Akira really hopped she had, if not he was in for a rough game.

They played the basic first few moves, and slowly let the game advance from there, neither making a sound as they played, Akira was right, she was serious, more so then he had ever seen her before.

Rose placed one more stone down, and the game was over, he had no other moves to make and he accepted it, as anyone should. He looked at her face finally, having kept his attention on the board during the game. The tears streaking down her face surprised and upset him, how could he have not noticed her crying? He let his gaze go to his father, only to find that the man had slipped out of the room.

"Rose-chan?" Akira asked softly, his concern for the girl showing through.

"He said that Arana wouldn't be able to play. He thinks she isn't strong enough, and he doesn't trust my judgment on anything. He said if I keep pushing for her to join then I too would be denied this year," she said the pain showing all to clearly in her voice, cracking and wavering in a way he had never though possible for her.

"Rose-chan, I am sure that he will reconsider, after all without you he will not have a reason to play in the game. You are his rival," Akira said as he moved to sit next to her, his hand placed gently, almost lovingly, on her arm.

"He claims that someone else will be joining this time. A kid, your age I believe, that has just started the game. He can hold his own, I know that much," she said hanging her head in sorrow and shame.

"Rose-chan, please do not let this get to you. You know that he would never let you skip the game, and even if he does bring someone new in, you have the right to bring someone else too."

"They voted against her," she said sadly.

Akira didn't know what to say to that. That the others would tell Rose that her little sister, a player better then most of them, could not hold her own well maybe the players were really not worth his time.

"Akira-kun, could I ask a favor of you?" she asked after a moment in which he let his arms go around her shoulders as she cried her frustration out. She had been looking forward to debuting her sister at the games before she went to her first Dan.

"Anything," he replied easily.

"Let me bring you as my invite," the passion in her voice almost scared the boy, it was so out of place, she wasn't one to just make a decision without thinking it through, despite how her fast moves might belie that fact.

"But," he started only to be cut off.

"I know you have played this boy before, played and lost. You know that you want to play him again. I'm giving you the chance, and the others will approve of you, knowing that they have no way to deny you. Please do this for me. Do this for Arana. Do this for your love of the game. I don't care why you join, as long as you do. Akira he will lock me out of the group I formed, this is a real life game of life or death. Please help me," she pleaded, her brown eyes wide, showing the truth of her statement, she didn't care why he joined her fight, as long as he chose the side she thought was right.

Akira was silent for a moment, letting her words sink in, not really letting his mind settles on it as he looked into her eyes. She might have been a great Go player, but she really had no idea how to get people on her side, one of the reasons that she was losing to him. Then again it could be that she did know how to deal with people he just might know how to do it better.

"Go can not apply to real life, you know that," Akira told her gently as he looked down at her.

"Will you come or not?" she growled at him, her eyes narrowing to a dangerous level as she watched him intently waiting for her pray to show a weakness. Her lips had twisted into a vicious scowl, and the intensity pouring out of her was threatening to swallow both of them.

"I will go," he said slowly, his voice sounding far away. He didn't know how else to deal with the situation; after all she was like family to him. Not a sister, no one of them would be dead, but maybe as a cousin. He just couldn't understand why she was so desperate to get even with him that she would stoup to threatening an old friend.

"Akira-kun, that you soooooo much," she said with a smile, hugging him fiercely enough to cut of his supply of air. But the smile on her face, and the joy in her eyes, helped to reassure the young player that he had made the right choice, and after all he could play against people even his father wished to someday face.

"Shale we play again?" she asked letting him go her face bright with her happiness as she watched him the way a small child watched their hero. The look upset and disturbed the young man; after all he was using her as much as she was using him.

"Yes lets," he replied as they set up for another game.

The stones were placed at a much slower rate this time, and small talk flowed easily between them, each telling what they had been up to lately. When the game ended they just set up another and continued to play late into the night, just enjoying each others company and playing the game both of them loved.

His father cam in to check on them, joining in on some of the games, discussing strategies with both as the clocked ticked on to well past dark. None of them even realized the time. Akira only noted the lateness of the night when turned to take Rose as his next opponent only to find her curled up, sleeping peacefully. Both father and son agreed that she should stay the night and moved her to a guest room and placed her under the covers.

Akira gave her a good night kiss on the cheek as he got up to leave. He walked down the hall to his room. He prepared himself for sleep only to have her words from earlier come flying back into his mind. Perhaps it had not been the wisest idea to agree to go with her to the game. He would most defiantly be targeted by the others for going with her, and be forced to play harder games. Then again harder games would teach him to be a stronger player.

With a civil war going on in his head Akira fell into a fitful sleep, praying that he had done the right thing by agreeing to help a friend.


	2. Chapter 2

1Hikaru Shindou couldn't believe what he was seeing. His rival Akira was playing a game, against a girl! While in tournaments it wasn't so unusual for that to happen, when they were on Akira's turf most people wouldn't dare face him, let alone the girls, he hated tears after all.

The dual haired boy moved closer to the goban and watched silently as Akira placed a stone, the game looked to have just started. But then again the way the girl was looking at Akira, a triumphant smirk in her eyes, it was clearly not their first one of the day.

"You take so long, Akira-chan," the girl, said softly, her smile fading when the only response she got him slapping the stone down. "So testy today. And after I invited you to play in our little game," she said with an even larger smirk when he faltered in placing the stone.

Akira looked at her with passion in his eyes, passion to shut her up, but Hikaru had the feeling that would only happen if she were kind enough to lose. And she seemed to be having too much fun destroying him.

"By the way Akira-chan," she said as she placed a stone causing him to look up at her, his face full of questions, yet not one of them standing out. "Do you have any friends you would like to join us?" she asked her tone deceptively innocent. "Perhaps this boy right here. He does seem to understand the game enough to know the out come already."

And he did. As much as he wanted Akira to win this game, for there was something not right about the girl, he could clearly see that the other boy had no chance of beating the child facing him. She might not be a professional, for Hikaru knew all the ones that played in the Asian circuits, she was clearly better then many of the players he knew.

"He wouldn't want to," Akira said simply as he placed yet another stone on the board in a vain attempt to keep himself alive.

"You wouldn't like to play a few games of Go with friends?" the girl asked looking at Hikaru as she played a stone, not even looking to see if she played it right. And her gaze stayed locked with his as Akira played and she responded.

"You can play blind?" Hikaru decided to ask instead of asking. Akira knew him; if he didn't want him playing then there was a good reason, after all Akira was still chasing after Sai.

"If needed. Now will you play with us?" she asked point blank, not giving him any room to maneuver in. She was a strong player that used the rules of the game in real life.

Hikaru looked at Akira begging that the other give him a chance to level the field but the other boy meekly kept his eyes to the board. The dual haired boy let his mind wander until he could speak to Sai again.

'Sai?' he asked tentatively, he had earned the anger he could still feel by not letting the other play. But he enjoyed the game now too.

'Yes, Hikaru,' was the reply.

'What do you think about this? She seems like a strong player, and probably only plays with others like her. But Akira does seem afraid of her for some reason,' Hikaru trailed off not sure if he wanted to truly think about what the girl meant for him and his new friend.

'I think we should ask for information. Who will be there?' Sai said after a moment of thought. He had spent much of his life in the palace. He did know how to play games with people. But then again he did not enjoy it, while this girl seemed to relish it. H had known many people like that. Had lost to one.

'You may be right,' Hikaru thought before he turned his gaze back to the girl, finally letting her know that he was thinking on her question.

"That depends on the friends that I play with," was all he said at Sai's prompting. He watched as her eyes lit up at the prospect of having someone to play with at her level. Pity neither Hikaru nor Sai felt they were up to being on that level.

"Well you'll have to come any find out," she said with a smile before placing another stone on the board and waited to Akira to move, still looking at Hikaru.

He wasn't sure why but something in her eyes troubled him. She was the kind of girl that could belong to the Cartoshen palace. She was on the Cartoshen caliber. The kind of girl that was to be avoided at all costs, simply because she could destroy a person with words.

"How would you feel if I decided not to go?" Hikaru asked suddenly, before letting Sai tell him what was the right answer. He watched as the girl blinked slowly placed a stone and then allowed a slow grin to spread over her face.

"Why I would hunt you down and force you to join," he tone was dead, not emotion in it anywhere. The creepy feeling, that this girl was not playing a simple game but one that was dangerous and possibly even deadly in its own right, made him feel sick.

"And why would a friend do such a thing?" Akira asked as he placed a stone on the board, his eyes showed his fear of her but there was something else in them. They shown with courage the likes of which Hikaru had never before seen on his rival.

"To ensure that all friends had optimal fun, of course," she replied responding to his move, and capturing three stones. She turned back to Hikaru as Akira studied the board. "You do like to have fun right."

It was a statement not a question, but for some reason he felt compelled to answer her.

"I do like o have fun. However," a very energetic girl promptly interrupted him.

"Do you not have fun playing go? Do you not have fun being with Friends?" her questions came hard and fast. The stone she placed on the board was the only one he had seen her use proper form for. She was a threat to all-weaker then her, hiding her strength until she had annihilated you.

"I do. What I do not enjoy is playing pointless little games with little girls," he said as Sai directed before turning to leave. He was amazed that Akira hadn't demanded that he stay and play him.

As he opened the door to leave he heard Akira forfeit the match, and the musical laugh that could only have belonged to the wretched girl. He turned and looked back at them.

"You miss, are the finest Cartoshen I have ever had the honor of meeting," he said watching her face to see how she reacted to the comment. He was disappointed to see a small almost sad and fragile smile form upon her lips.

"I am far from being Cartoshen, child," she said her voice laden with pain. "I am Corbatian, or if I am lucky and Lord Hede would permit me the liberty, Litherelian. But I can assure you that I am no Cartoshen."

Hikaru nodded his head before leaving the salon and turning towards the train station. He tried to get his mind off of the girl. Tried to make he forget her and her last comment. But for some reason she had seemed all to unwilling to take some praise. Was she really not what the mistress would consider Cartoshen? But if that was so how could the girl possibly know what she was then?

Hikaru sighed as he walked into a bookstore, grabbing the latest Angelic's Saga book off the shelf and started leafing through it. At least Sai had left him alone until then.

'Hikaru, what did you two mean?'

'These are really popular books right now. There are four main types of angelics, Cartoshen, Shinitoian, Litherelian and Corbatian. There is another type but they have yet to be explained.' Hikaru informed him silently.

'Oh!' was all Sai could think of.

'She said she was not Cartoshen, as if she wanted to be one,' hikaru thought.

'Is that a bad thing?'

'Cartoshen are truly evil beings that do what ever they can to manipulate the world around them. I have only ever been called Corbatian, loyal, trusting stupid, but considered the power of the angelics. She said she belonged to that group, but with Akira so scared… I'm not to sure she is.'

'Didn't she say she could also be Litherelian?'

'Yes, but even that doesn't make since. Why claim to belong to the lower levels when you clearly could match wits with the best?'

'The best?'

'It would be like me playing my best against a new player compared to me playing that way with Akira,' Hikaru explained patiently.

'Why would she claim one that could make her look worse than any other term? She claims to be Litherelian but they are cut throats that will do what ever it takes to get what the want. They do also do that to protect that which is important to them.

"Hikaru-chan," a voice called from behind him.

"I see you are reading my books. How happy you make me feel. How special. But please you will only get the people that the story is biased off of if you come to play," her tone was happy and playful. Clearly she had been waiting for him. Though he doubted from Akiras actions that he had told he about him. So how had she known? Had they been waiting for him?

"Will you come to play, Hikaru-san?" she asked her voice taking on a pleading note. Suddenly she looked so fragile that he was unsure how to tell her 'no' with out her breaking into tears.

"Why do you want me?" he asked as he placed the book down, careful not to touch her or anything else as he eased himself down the easel.

"Because Akira said you can hold your own against him. That you were the only person outside of the circuit to beat him. Please I need all the help that I can get. Please, Hikaru-san," she said again, her voice damn near breaking.

"Why do you need people strong enough to beat Akira? Why do you need people to play against simple friends?" he asked his temper coming out full force, anger at how she had treated Akira, at the fact that she was not letting this go. Angry that he was going to say yes, just to shut up both voices in his head.

"Fine, I'll play, but on one condition," he said trying to sound serious and threatening.

"Which would be?"

"That you tell me just why you were playing that way with Akira. You could have given him a chance or played a more fare game. Why were you playing like that?"

"Would you prefer that he faces those that will rip him to shreds without a second thought, with out toughening his skin? Would you like me to leave him defenseless? If you would then I wish that I had never laid eyes on you, Hikaru Shindou," she said her voice thickening with emotion and an anger that was hotter than anything he had ever had the pleasure pf facing.

"No, but is that truly the only way to help him?" the dual haired boy asked.

"If you have any bright ideas I would love to hear them."

"It's killing you to treat him that way, isn't it?" he asked softly, gently.

"He was always like a brother to me," she said as a tear fell from her eyes.

"Then why do this to him?"

"You don't understand! I don't have a choice!" she cried as she felt the tears starting to flow freely from her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Hikaru asked as he placed a friendly hand on her shoulder trying to comfort her.

"Come and you'll see. See why I'm so far from being a Cartoshen," her words turned bitter towards the end. Her hatred for someone shining in her dark eyes as she gazed at him, her focus sharper than anyone else's.

"I need someone else to help me. I need someone to help Akira," she said her voice sounding normal again. But the tears still fell from her eyes, and Hikaru had to wonder just who this girl was.

"I'll help you," he said giving her a small smile, one that said he forgave her. And that he would try to understand.


End file.
